Part 19 (1/2)
”I'm hoping she will soon.”
”I sent her a message on Facebook, but she didn't answer yet. I sent one to Victoria, too. She didn't answer, either.”
Jill hid her annoyance at Victoria. ”When did you do that?”
”When I was doing my homework.”
Jill let it go. She didn't like the mult.i.tasking that Megan did, but she knew it couldn't be stopped. Her own mother used to say, do one thing at a time, but those days were long gone.
”Abby has lots of guy friends on her Facebook page. I was thinking that she could be with a guy friend. Maybe she's not really gone, or missing.”
”You're right, that's what I'm hoping. Don't worry about Abby. Leave that to me.” Jill tugged the comforter up, and next to Megan, Beef lowered his head onto his paws, closing his eyes. ”You need to get a good night's sleep.”
”Am I lame because I had a panic attack?” Megan asked, after a moment.
”No, of course not.” Jill kissed her warmly on the cheek. ”It's been a hard weekend, with the news about William. On top of that you have homework, the meet, Abby, and your Guitar Hero. There's a lot of emotion, all at once. It's too much for anybody to deal with, even somebody as strong as you.”
”I thought I was having a heart attack.”
”I bet. You weren't, it just felt that way.”
”I thought I was going to die. You can't die from a panic attack, can you?”
”No, of course not.” Jill stroked her cheek.
”I mean, what if I die tonight? In my sleep?”
”Honey, no, that can't happen.” Jill was about to launch into a medical explanation, but stopped when she read Megan's expression. Her brow wrinkled deeply, and her lips clenched over her braces, in what was becoming a nervous habit. Megan was an anxious little girl in the body of a young woman, and she didn't need a pediatrician, she needed a mom. Jill gathered her up and gave her a big hug. ”Everything's going to be okay, honey. Don't worry about a thing.”
”Wanna lie down with me a while, Mom? Like we used to?”
”Good idea.” Jill released Megan, then reached up and turned off the light, leaving them both in a soft, velvety darkness. ”Move over, okay?”
”Sure.” Megan s.h.i.+fted over in bed, and so did Beef, which left a skinny strip for Jill at the edge of the bed, only as wide as a balance beam, but familiar to mothers everywhere.
”Perfect,” Jill said, meaning it, and she hugged Megan close, feeling her body relax.
”You sure I won't die?”
”Positive.” Jill hadn't realized that when Megan was asking about death, she was asking about her own. ”It's impossible. Don't worry about it, at all. Okay?”
”Okay.” Megan paused. ”Did you really kiss thousands of guys, Mom?”
”Millions.” Jill laughed, and so did Megan.
Sam's silhouette appeared in the door. ”What's going on in here? Sounds like you two girls need adult supervision.”
Jill was about to answer, but Megan beat her to it, opening her arms to him.
”Sam,” Megan called out. ”Come in! Kitten needs hugs! Hugs!”
”Talked me into it.” Sam walked over, piling into bed and giving Megan a big hug, and Jill watched Megan cling to him. Sam was a true father to her, not just the father figure that William had been, and it would kill Megan to lose him.
Jill had to find a way to make it work, when Abby came home.
If Abby came home.
Chapter Twenty-nine.
It was Monday morning, and Jill walked from the parking lot to the office, trying to switch mental gears. She'd worried about Megan and Abby all night, tossing and turning, but she'd have to put them to the back of her mind today. Flu season was like tax time for germs, and she'd need to focus at work. She'd called Padma about Rahul, and he was still feverish. She wished she'd ordered his bloodwork stat, just so she'd have the answer.
PEMBEY FAMILY PRACTICE, read the carved wooden sign in front of the large stone home, one of many on the street that had been converted to offices for doctors, lawyers, and accountants. Pembey was the town next to Jill's, only twenty minutes from her house, and a suburban practice had been just the ticket while Megan was still young.
Jill opened the door onto the waiting room, greeted by its freshened air and soothing blue decor. Big bay windows made it feel cheery, homey, and bright, even on an overcast day like today. Patients occupied most of the comfy blue-patterned chairs, reading magazines or typing into BlackBerrys, but none of the patients was hers. She didn't have anybody for half an hour, and she'd come in early to catch up on her charting and insurance paperwork, which was endless. Pembey Family took fifteen types of insurance, and Aetna alone was four of them.
Jill headed for the door leading to the doctors' offices and examination rooms, then spotted Elaine Fitzmartin standing at the intake window, signing in her elderly mother, Mary, who was an Alzheimer's patient of Dr. Thoma's. They were in all the time, and Jill liked them both. ”Hi, ladies, how are you this morning?” she asked.
”Fine,” Mary answered, turning with a sweet smile. ”You look nice today.”
”Thank you,” Jill said, though she only had on her usual cotton sweater, khakis, and clogs. ”How are you feeling today?”
”I did the crossword this morning, in pen. Do you do the crossword?”
”Not in pen, my dear. Good for you. Keep it up.” Jill turned to Elaine, because she knew from taking care of her own mother that caretakers needed caretaking, too. ”And how about you, Elaine?”
”We're fine, thanks. Much better now that Mom's on Memoril.”
”Great.” Jill didn't know much about Alzheimer meds. ”And you, are you living on the edge, too? Doing crosswords in pen?”
Elaine smiled. ”No, but I'm loving that book you lent me, the mystery. I can't put it down.”
”Great.” Jill noticed Sheryl, their office manager, eavesdropping from the file cabinets, but she ignored her. ”You won't guess the ending, so don't even try.”
”I always try, and I think I know who did it.”
Jill smiled. ”Don't skip ahead, like last time.” She turned to Mary. ”You're her mom. Tell her not to skip ahead.”
”Oh, she never obeys me. She never obeys anybody.”
”Then you raised her right,” Jill said, and they all laughed. Behind them, Sheryl was motioning to Jill to finish the conversation.
”Excuse me, ladies, I've got to go. Take care.” Jill opened the door into the hallway, and Sheryl swooped out to meet her, short and stocky in her blue scrubs, with bristly, short hair that was prematurely gray, from trying to control the universe.
”I need to speak with you in your office, right away.”
Jill didn't break stride. ”Okay, I have an idea. Why don't I invite you into my office to speak with me, right away?”